Zesty Sprouted White Chickpea Salad

Sprouted kabuli chana, the pale white chickpea, has a firmer, nuttier bite than the chickpeas most of us grew up with. Sprouting is simply soaking and letting the seeds begin to germinate, and it tends to make the beans a little sweeter and easier to enjoy in salads. Once boiled, they hold their shape well, which is exactly what you want when they are going to sit in a dressing for a while.

The dressing does most of the work here. Lemon, roasted cumin and chaat masala give it a sharp, tangy edge, and the green chilli adds heat that builds slowly rather than all at once. Keep the chilli quantity honest for the people you are feeding. If you are cooking for a mixed table, put the chilli in the dressing but offer extra chopped chilli on the side, so everyone can choose.

A small tip from years of making chaat-style salads: keep the onions and tomatoes separate from the dressing until the very end. Cold chilled beans with raw tomato sitting in lemon juice can turn watery. Scatter the vegetables over the chana, cover and chill, then toss everything together just before the bowl goes out. The salad keeps well in the fridge for a day, but the mint and coriander look best when they have not been sitting around too long, so you may want to add an extra pinch of each fresh on top.

This is a good light lunch on its own, or a snack for a late afternoon when you want something crunchy and cool. It sits nicely next to a simple dal and rice, or with a bowl of plain yoghurt on the side. If you want something warm and roasted to pair with it, the Roasted Moong Dal with Garden Vegetables has the same earthy, toasted flavours and makes a satisfying plate together. For a crisp snack to scoop up leftover dressing, try the Spicy Roasted Lotus Seed Snack Mix, which brings crunch without any frying.

Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a day. Stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon before eating, since the acidity fades a little overnight.